John Millman announces retirement: The body is broken down

November 9, 2023

ATP Tennis Players, Australian Open, Tennis News

John Millman announces retirement: The body is really broken down

John Millman has announced that he will retire at his home major in 2024, bringing an end to his 17-year professional career due to injury struggles.

Millman has had a very disrupted season due to a variety of different injuries, and has played only 10 matches all year, dropping down to his lowest ranking in nine years (No.436).

The Aussie announced his retirement on social media earlier today, “All good things come to an end. After the upcoming Australian Summer I’ll be retiring from professional tennis. I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I’ve had throughout my career. It’s been a thrilling ride living out a dream I had as a kid.”

All good things come to an end.
After the upcoming Australian Summer I’ll be retiring from professional tennis.
I’m incredibly grateful for all the support I’ve had throughout my career.
It’s been a thrilling ride living out a dream I had as a kid. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/BFru6Wjwgn
— John Millman (@johnhmillman) November 9, 2023

And Millman went more in-depth into his recent struggles when speaking to 9News Queensland, “Unfortunately age has caught up to me. The body is really broken down. It’s been a fantastic career, but I’m ready to try something else.”

The 34-year-old continued, “I think at the end of every year you kind of assess where you’re at mentally and physically. At the end of last year and (after) having quite an encouraging Australian Open summer series, I was ready to go again, but one back injury after another has really halted my progression this season.

“For me, the way I play, I have to be up there playing 11 months a year and I’m just no longer able to do so. I can still play at a high level I feel, but not day-in, day-out, the body is not letting me. All those years of being physical on the court has caught up with me.”

Millman won one ATP title in his career, but arguably his most notable career moment came when he beat 20-time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer at the 2018 US Open.

Inside the baseline…

John Millman has always been a well-respected professional on the ATP Tour, and has also been an integral part of Australia’s Davis Cup team. Unfortunately, as we have seen with many tennis players, including the aforementioned Roger Federer, the body sometimes catches up with them due to the physical nature of the sport and Millman’s game style may have contributed to this. Hopefully he gets the send-off he deserves at the Australian Open next year.